Monster Markup Puts Trump Damage to Courts on “Full Display”

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 7, 2019 – Following the conclusion of today’s “Monster Markup” in the Senate Judiciary Committee, at which 44 federal judicial nominees were voted out of committee along with the attorney general nominee, William Barr, AFJ President Nan Aron released the following statement:

“Today’s Senate Judiciary Committee vote put the Trump Administration’s damage to our courts and justice system on full display. The sheer number of nominees jammed through the markup process today — including an attorney general nominee — is outrageous, and clearly prevents these important nominations from being fully debated and vetted. Four of the judicial nominees are circuit court candidates whose nominations are being advanced over the objections of their home-state senators. Not only that, but the records of the attorney general nominee and the judicial nominees are in many cases disqualifying. The judicial nominees include Chad Readler, who wants to strip health care coverage from millions of Americans; Matthew Kacsmaryk, an avid anti-LGBTQ activist; Wendy Vitter, who spread junk science-based misinformation about reproductive health care, and others. The process is being abused to advance deeply flawed candidates, and senators should resist the pressure to rubber-stamp these nominations.”